The National Association of Counties announced the selection of Linn County Supervisor Ben Rogers as one of 25 county leaders from across the United States to participate in the Ninth Annual County Leadership Institute, a rigorous four-day program offered in partnership with Cambridge Leadership Associates. Nominated by Bill Peterson, Executive Director of the Iowa Association of Counties as an official with a commitment to developing collaborative and innovative solutions to local issues, Rogers will meet at IBM’s Institute for Electronic Government in Washington, D.C., from June 3-7, 2012.
The Institute, now in its ninth year, has graduated 189 members from 40 states and 140 counties across the country. Known for enhancing the capacity of county officials to identify and implement innovative solutions to the complex challenges facing county government in the 21st century, this year’s program will focus closely on the demands of personal leadership in a new era of government, one characterized as a “permanent crisis” by CLI Program Developer and Cambridge Leadership co-founder Marty Linsky.
“The county officials who participate in the Institute get information, ideas, and perspectives they can’t get anywhere else,” said Larry Naake, Executive Director of NACo. “These county leaders not only discuss the core principles of public service leadership with prominent experts, they also collaborate intensively with each other to develop new ways to attack real-life issues of importance to the citizens of their counties.”
“I am honored to have been nominated and selected for this program,” Rogers said. “I welcome any opportunity to learn new ways to serve Linn County residents and improve local government services.”
In addition to developing skills and cultivating new perspectives of leadership, the Institute builds a network of CLI alumni who continue to offer support, suggestions and feedback across years and county lines. Classes meet daily from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and in four evening meetings. Program costs are offset by corporate and non-profit sponsoring organizations. Sponsors for 2012 include IBM, ESRI, NACo’s Financial Services Corporation (FSC), and the National Council of County Association Executives.
Linn County Supervisor Linda Langston is a CLI alumnus from 2004.
The National Association of Counties (NACo) is the only national organization that represents county governments in the United States. Founded in 1935, NACo provides essential services to the nation’s 3,068 counties. NACo advances issues with a unified voice before the federal government, improves the public's understanding of county government, assists counties in finding and sharing innovative solutions through education and research, and provides value-added services to save counties and taxpayers money. For more information about NACo, visit www.naco.org.
